Samuel L. Jackson Had Only One Request For 'The Avengers' - And He Was Denied

Director and writer Joss Whedon radically changed the script for "Marvel's The Avengers" when he took over the project. Many cast members loved his version, in part because he asked for their insight, particularly with their characters.

Samuel L. Jackson, playing spy Nick Fury, was pleased to be involved in the writing process but had one request, as Whedon recalls in "Joss Whedon: The Biography," out August 1:

"I don't want to run," the then-62-year-old actor said. "Don't make me run a lot."

After reading the script, however, he confronted the director over a stage direction.

"It says, 'Fury run," Jackson said.

"I know, it's just this one time," Whedon said.

This isn't the first time Jackson has had a request on set of a major motion picture.

While filming "Star Wars: Episode II - The Clone Wars," Jackson requested a purple lightsaber for his character Jedi Master Mace Windu so he could find himself in a big action-sequence of around 300 lightsabers.

Jackson recounted that George Lucas originally tried to tell him lightsabers only came in three colors but eventually relented.